Coach service

IT’S TIME TO BOOST YOUR IDEA AND GROW

 

The FAN-BEST Coach Network was designed to provide support to SMEs that carry out innovative projects within the Blue Economy sector, making possible the start and scale-up phase.

There are two main factors that undermine the innovation capacity of the SMEs that mainly compose the Blue Economy sectors in the Atlantic Area:

 

  • Disconnection between the business environment and the innovation system.
  • Difficulty for the companies linked to the maritime economy to access external financing.

 

The main objective of the FAN-BEST Coach Network was to select, coach and monitor innovation projects from the Atlantic Blue Economy sectors, so that the technologies and innovations “made in Atlantic regions” can reach the market turning into successful business projects. All the FAN-BEST partners collaborate with this program, being in charge of the selection process and providing the coach to the beneficiaries, monitoring the whole process.

 

Some of the main tasks carried out is to provide information, advice and coaching to SMEs so that they can learn more about all key strategic aspects concerning the project as IP, marketing, commercial, technological, financing and human resources, as well as the available financing opportunities, which are the instruments and grants more suitable among all the wide landscape of programs and instruments from local to international level, in order to help them to achieve the appropriate financing.

 

Benefits for participants

Two kind of services were provided to the beneficiaries:

 

  • Group sessions: where the selected participants meet all the partners and the rest of beneficiaries, creating synergies between the entities. Also, there is foreseen the participation in EU Blue Economy events during 2021-2022
  • Individual sessions-contact: each beneficiary was assigned to one partner to provide the coach service through interviews, face-to-face meetings, webinars and a fluid communication. The coach plan was adapted to the needs and timing, in agree between each beneficiary and partner. These individual sessions may cover an analysis and preliminary assessment of the innovation project, a personal interview with the promoters for the evaluation of their business profile and spirit, a training and preparation of the promoters’ management team and supporting and providing advice during the steps necessary to access to funding.